The applicant claims and requests a foreign priority, through the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industry Property, based on a patent application filed in the Republic of Korea (South Korea) with the filing date of Mar. 7, 2001, with the application number 20-2001-0006050, by the applicant. (See the Attached Declaration)
The present invention relates to an orthodontic treatment device. More particularly, the invention relates to an osteogenic support device which serves to protect gum of an orthodontic patient while improving performance of an orthodontic treatment.
As a known method of orthodontic treatment, a jaw bone is used to provide an extra force to teeth of an orthodontic patient so as to efficiently realize a desired teeth rearrangement. Once brackets are glued on teeth in a required alignment, each of the glued teeth is connected using an orthodontic wire which serves to strain the teeth of an orthodontic patient. When an additional force is required for a desired teeth arrangement, a tiny piece of hygienic nailing device such as a hygienic screw is planted in a jaw bone structure of the orthodontic patient to provide an extra strain to the teeth. That is, an extra wire is hooked up both on an exposed side portion of the hygienic piece planted in the patient""s jaw bone and on the base wire that retains each bracket on the teeth.
FIG. 10 shows a conventional osteogenic support device disclosed in Korean Utility Model No. 20-0183849 granted to the present inventors. As shown therein, the support device 100 includes a base platform 110, an upper projection 120 extending upwardly from the base platform 110, and a neck portion 130 extending downwardly from the base platform 110. A gum protect 140 and a screw portion 150 are sequentially formed from the neck portion 130. A cap 160 is formed on the upper projection 120 to allow a wire hookup on the upper projection 120. The screw portion 150 is pierced in a jaw bone of an orthodontic patient and the gum protect 140 serves to guard the gum of the orthodontic patient. However, the conventional osteogenic support device 100 allows a wire to move along the evenly formed outer periphery of the upper projection 120 thereby causing the wire to make an unwanted contact on the gum which may lead to gum inflammation and other side effects. In addition, the conventional support device 100 may easily lead to a delay in orthodontic treatment, because once the gum becomes inflamed, the orthodontic treatment has to halt until the gum recovers from the wire-related injury.
The present invention is contrived to overcome the conventional disadvantages and others. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an osteogenic support device for an orthodontic treatment which minimizes a wire contact on the gum during the osteogenic orthodontic treatment. Another object is to improve efficiency in orthodontic treatment using an osteogenic jaw bone structure together with an elastic wire that links the support device and a regular wire worn on each bracket glued on teeth of an orthodontic patient.
To achieve the above-described objects, the osteogenic support device for an orthodontic treatment according to the present invention comprises a platform defined by a top side, a bottom side and an outer periphery. A lower projection having a pointed end extends from the bottom side of the platform so as to become pierced in an osteogenic jaw bone structure of an orthodontic patient for a limited time period.
An upper projection upwardly extends from the top side of the platform. The upper projection includes a base portion having a lower end, a mid portion, and an upper portion having an upper end. The lower end of the base portion of the upper projection is attached to the top side of the platform. The upper projection is substantially tapered from the base portion toward the upper portion thereof. In a preferred version, the mid portion of the upper protection has a through opening substantially perpendicular to an axis of the lower projection.
For a better performance, a cap is provided to include an upper surface and a lower surface. The upper end of the upper portion of the upper projection is attached to the lower surface of the cap. The lower surface of the cap is substantially larger in area than the upper end of the upper portion of the upper projection.
An elastic wire is provided to have first and second ends. The first end of the elastic wire is hooked between the cap and the platform. The second end of the elastic wire is hooked with an orthodontic wire which links each bracket attached on teeth of the orthodontic patient. Also, a gum protection between the platform and the lower projection is smoothly tapered from below the platform toward the lower projection and shaped in a truncated cone. The truncated cone shaped upper projection is between about 1.0 mm and about 3.0 mm in height. It is preferred that the lower projection is substantially threaded. The outer periphery of the platform is substantially surface-piled to facilitate manipulation of the support device. The upper surface of the cap is shaped in dome so the domed upper surface of the cap is partially depressed to form either a linear recess or a cross-shaped recess.
Advantages of the osteogenic support device for an orthodontic treatment according to the present invention are numerous in that: (1) the upper projection tapered toward the cap at least decreases or eliminates possibility that an elastic wire hooked over the cap by one end and the base wire linking each bracket glued on target by the other end may become in contact with gum, thereby preventing gum inflammation and other friction related gum diseases since the tapered upper projection serves to distance the elastic wire from the gum; (2) the tapered upper projection stabilizes placement of the elastic wire while preventing unwanted drooping and swaying of the elastic wire, thereby improving efficiency of the orthodontic treatment and decreasing an overall time period during which the lower projection stays pierced in the osteogenic jaw bone structure; and (3) the gum protection formed in taper from the platform toward the lower projection is provided such that it minimizes gum stimulation and gum contact area while staying contacted with the gum, thereby overcoming disadvantages by a conventional disk-typed gum contact that disregards pressure on the gum.
Although the present invention is briefly summarized, the fuller understanding of the invention can be obtained by the following drawings, detailed description and appended claims.